Nations, Like Stars
by silver.curtains
Summary: The bell tolls, marking a new era of harrowing threats for the fledgling Justice League as they deal with Checkmate, Lex Luthor, and a new enemy that no one had seen coming. Rated T to be safe. Slightly AU.


**Hey, everybody! How're you all doing? This is my very first attempt at a crossover fic. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull it off, but I plan on trying. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Just to set the stage, this is post-Breaking Dawn and post-season 9 of Smallville. It's also AU a little bit because I'm not sure how season 9 is going to end. This chapter is kind of awkward and a little shorter than I had hoped for, but it's a start. I do have some general idea about where I'm going with this, but I'm always open to suggestion so please, PLEASE leave me a review with some kind of feedback. **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Twilight or Smallville.

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Nations, like stars, are entitled to eclipse. All is well, provided the light returns and the eclipse does not become endless night. Dawn and resurrection are synonymous. The reappearance of the light is the same as the survival of the soul.

-Victor Hugo

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There was a fine layer of snow dusting the sidewalk when they stepped out into the blustery air. Dinah heaved her luggage a little higher into her arms and dodged a man in a business suit as he pushed past her into the airport. Her boot caught a patch of ice and she slid out of balance. A hand reached out and gripped her shoulder, steadying her. Kara Kent came into her line of view, swinging her own suitcase at her side like a child would a doll. "I can carry that for you, if you'd like."

With a small smile, Dinah shook her head and ducked out of the crowd of people. The sidewalk to their right was covered and she let her suitcase rest on the ground a moment before she turned to her blonde companion. "You look conspicuous enough, Kara. Could you at least act like it's heavy?"

"But it's not," she frowned. "It gets to be incredibly frustrating, you know that? Having to act like this is heavy, having to use human transportation. That's the first time I've ever flown in an airplane before, you know…"

Dinah shot her a disbelieving look. "You're joking."

"It's not like I ever really needed to," Kara shrugged. Without any warning, she darted her arm out and snatched the suitcase away before Dinah could stop her. Lifting both pieces of luggage into her arms, she motioned with her head and started off down the sidewalk. "Come on. Chloe said she'd have a car waiting for us. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Dinah was careful to watch her step as she hurried after her partner. She spared one quick glance over her shoulder to make sure no one had overheard their conversation. All of the faces nearby were distracted, caught up in their own individual attentions. The corners of her lips quirked and she stuffed her hands in her pockets, the locks of her dark hair tumbling over her shoulder as she walked.

"Is this it?" Kara asked, setting the two suitcases down and walking around the car to peer in the passenger window. She stepped back and her eyes narrowed. She circled the car once, scanning it top to bottom. "It's clear. There aren't any unwanted surprises lurking anywhere."

"And the license plate says MR GREEN," Dinah let out a laugh. "I think it's safe to say that this is Chloe's doing. Where did you put the key?"

"It's in the outer pocket of that smaller suitcase," she moved around her friend and stooped, digging through the pockets and tossing a set of keys to Dinah. "We should probably go. We need to check in."

Dinah took the keys and unlocked the door. She slid into the driver's seat and adjusted the mirror. Kara slipped into the passenger seat next to her, tossing the suitcases into the backseat. The engine purred to life and Dinah glanced over her shoulder as she backed out, spying both for pedestrians and potential threats. Beside her, Kara was digging through the glove compartment; she emerged with a mini-laptop emblazoned with the letters JL on the outside. Her fingers flew across the keyboard at inhuman speeds and by the time Dinah rolled to a stop at their first red light, Chloe's voice filled the car:

"This is Watchtower."

Kara sat back in her seat and sighed, "Watchtower, this is Supergirl and Canary checking in."

"Alright, Supergirl," the smile was obvious in Chloe's voice. "Keep us posted on what you find out. Arrow says to be careful."

"We will 'Tower," Dinah shook her head. "Canary out."

Kara disconnected the call but strummed her fingers across the keyboard again, pulling up page after page of information. "Let's see what we've got here, Canary. Tess is certain that someone was hacking into LutherCorp files from somewhere here in New Hampshire, but this is a pretty small place. In comparison to nearby cities, I mean. The logical place to start is Dartmouth College. It's the biggest facility I can think of."

"That sounds like as good a place as any," Dinah maneuvered the car into the turning lane and darted across in front of a speeding truck. "We should probably start at the library. If we can let Watchtower get into the college's server, then maybe Chloe can trace which specific computer was hacking into LutherCorp."

Kara closed the laptop and shifted in her seat. She twisted her blonde hair over one shoulder. "Dinah, is it true what Clark said? That Lex is the one behind this?"

Dinah glanced at her Kryptonian companion. "I know Dr. Fate told Clark that Lex was still alive. But this could be anyone, Kara. And we can't worry about speculation. Right now we just need to focus on getting the information that Watchtower needs. Then we can do the fun stuff."

"I'm just worried," Kara admitted. "When Braniac was posing as me, he made sure that Lex knew who Kal-El and I really were. He used my abilities in front of him. If Lex is still out there, then who knows what he's done. He was never one to sit idle, or to walk into something without multiple back-up plans. If he was the one who hacked into Tess' files, I'm not sure we'll be able to stop him easily."

"It could just as easily be Checkmate, you know," Dinah pointed out. "Amanda Waller may be laying low since her failed attempt to use meta-humans to defeat the Kandorians, but that doesn't mean she isn't plotting something. And she knows that Zod is still very volatile toward most humans, especially where Tess is concerned. She could easily be casting out bait to see if he'll bite."

Kara dropped her head back against the seat. "Sometimes I think it would've been easier if I hadn't come back to Earth. It's Clark's destiny to be here, not mine."

"Well you're here now, Kara," Dinah smiled. "So let's make the most of it. We've got a world to save after all."

The parking lot had iced over by the time Dinah managed to navigate the side streets of the campus. The only parking space she was able to find was nestled between the curb and a silver Volvo. Kara slipped the equipment into her bag and passed a notebook to Dinah so that, at first glance, they passed for students. She had to admit, it was a beautiful place. The languid flakes of snow falling around empty branches and the grass dusted over with smudges of white – indeed, it had been quite some time since Dinah Lance had seen that kind of tranquil beauty. Her life now was too full of psychotic meta-humans bent on world destruction.

"Watch your step," she heard Kara whisper. She was walking a few steps ahead. When Dinah glanced to see if Kara had slipped, she was surprised to see that Kara was hovering a few centimeters off the ground, moving her feet to cast the illusion of walking.

"Do you know how angry Clark would be if he saw you right now?" Dinah asked. But she heeded the warning and stepped into the grass until she saw Kara lower back onto the ground. The cold concrete clicked beneath their boots as they walked.

"I am carrying thousands of dollars worth of valuable equipment in my arms," Kara admonished. "The last thing the League needs is for me to trip on ice and send all of it crashing into the ground. In case you've forgotten, Chloe does, in fact, have access to a substantial amount of kryptonite and I am not interested in spending any length of time near it."

The inside of the library was a thick, bone-reaching warmth that Dinah reveled in. She padded across the floor behind Kara and they sidled through aisles of books to an obscure nook in the back of the first floor. Kara opened her laptop and reached for her phone. In a whisper she spoke, "Watchtower, this is Supergirl and Canary. We are currently at the Baker-Berry Library at Dartmouth College. Are you ready?"

Kara's fingers flew across the keys, following Chloe's orders. While she worked, hissing whispers into the phone, Dinah scanned her eyes across the room. The last thing they needed was someone suspecting that they might be doing what they in fact were doing. Everyone seemed to be absorbed in their own little worlds, she was pleased to see. She finished her perusal of the room by glancing to the adjacent corner, and she was taken aback to see a bronze-haired student watching her over the top of his book.

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**So how did I do? It wasn't quite what I had expected but not altogether terrible. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think**.


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